Proud to be me

Children's short story

"Well hello" said my friend Boris. I was quite shocked to hear that voice here, for the last time I saw him, we were piled along side each other in a large yard filled with hundreds of ornaments. How wet we were too, for it had not stopped raining all day and when night time came it started to snow. Oh! I wish we could be somewhere warm now and just be able to lie down.

Now this is better I thought, as morning came, bringing a little sun and no snow. Boris was taking his time waking up and he couldn't even be bothered to speak, so I was just standing there waiting. I was awake, thinking even if I wanted to move I couldn't as I was very squashed up in this yard when suddenly a large, noisy, dirty lorry passed right beside the fence. Its wheels were so large I couldn't even see what colour it was or whom it belonged to.

In the past I had felt the road tremble like this many times but never so close to me. Holding my breath I tried to shake up and down hoping that Boris would see me. But he was sound asleep and now it was worrying as lots of men had jumped out from the back of the lorry and started to pick up rubble, sand and large bags of cement. The men walked along where Boris and I were and picked up some of our friends. Oh not me please, I thought, as Boris is not even awake yet. They stopped at me and then the Boss man said "Just one more, yes that will do". Then I was suddenly carried to the large lorry without even saying goodbye to Boris.

Where am I going, why, what for and how long will I be- As now I was with smelly sand, horrible rubble and dry dusty cement and I was frightened and sad.

Suddenly we were on the move, sometimes fast, which is when all the rubble would jump about and sometimes slow when all the birds would look at us. There was a lot of stopping and starting and once there was a big sudden stop, which mixed us all up.

Just as we were all settling down again, the lorry swerved and stopped in a lay by. Men came from everywhere and started unloading the sand, cement and rubble leaving my friends and me on this dirty, smelly lorry. While we were waiting to see what was going to happen to us another small lorry came and parked behind us. More men started unloading from the small lorry. That didn't seem fair, as we were here first waiting to be unloaded.

I was about to make some sort of fuss, you know fall down, bump about or even fall out when the Boss man came to our lorry and shouted (he seems to do a lot of shouting, I think) "Come on unload that lot first before you start unloading the small lorry".

Then I was gently laid down on the grass, "Mmm" it was so cold after such a dusty journey and it was lovely just to lie down to cool off. It was while I was lying peacefully that I heard Boris say "Hello you". "Oh how lovely it is to see and hear you", I said. "Where are we now and what is going to happen to us-" I asked. "There you go again, whinging and whining, just look", said Boris.

So, I did, well there was this most beautiful church and the only thing spoiling it was the horrible old path. So now I knew what was happening and why we were here. For Boris and I are those lovely new paving stones.

We were settled in on the top of soft sand being kept in lovely straight lines with cement so that people can walk up to this lovely church on us. On hot sunny days, cold wet windy days and who knows even snowy days now everyone will be safe.

So when you walk up the new path, take care for Boris and I (Florence) are in the middle of the path, numbers six and seven from the big entrance arch way. Remember us and give two very proud paving stones a gentle tap as you step on us.

Oh and what happened to that rubble in our lorry- Well that's perhaps another story.

Florence